Everyday Creative, Creative Every Day

Entries Tagged as: sound

Hello, you creative geniuses, you! Bunch of stuff to share with you today. Totally random assortment.

First off, some images I've done for an intuitive painting class. I've been focusing on the shape of a eucalyptus branch, which I turned into stencil and stamp using an old yoga mat. I've been doing things a bit more abstract for this class, but I also noticed that the eucalyptus branch looks a lot like a spine, so the last piece plays with that. For that piece, I cut a euculyptus shape out of rice paper, wrote in ink on it and then pasted it in and painted around it in acrylic.

I was thinking about how to incorporate sound into the post today and had an idea. I keep a little bowl in my studio. It is the one surviving piece of pottery I created in a wheel throwing class in college (I was horrible at it, but it was a lot of fun!) Anyways, in this bowl, I keep some shiny, blue glass marbles and on top of the marbles, I have scraps of paper with different words on them.

I like to reach into the bowl on days when I'm needing a little focus, close my eyes, and pull out a word. For the scraps of paper, I used collage scraps and bits of prints that didn't come out properly. You could make your own set quite easily. What words would you choose? Some of the words in my bowl are: trust, create, open, connect, stillness, possibility, and leap!

I thought it'd be fun to pick a word for you today and record it. Feel free to muse on the word, use it to inspire art, or just tuck it in your back pocket. The recording is 1 minute long.

Mmm, I love the word I picked for us today. And I wish you all a wonder-full day.

But before I go, I've also got some links to share with you:

- My pal, Jamie Ridler is starting her next book group this Friday, June 5th and the book is Keri Smith's Wreck this Journal. This is not your typical book and I think it's going to be a total blast. You can still sign up right here.

- The latest Pikaland Good to Know zine is out and I've got some words in it. The theme is about personal style in your art. Very interesting stuff!

Happy June to all you lovely creatives! Being that this month's optional theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is sound, I thought I'd start off the month with a sound recording. Fun!

I've recorded a 10 minute guided meditation, mostly relaxation, with a bit of visualization/affirmation at the end. It's meant to help you get grounded and connected with your still, small voice, your creative core. Feel free to listen at your leisure and let me know what you think! I plan on doing some more of these throughout the month, so let me know if there's anything you really want to hear.

The link below will open up an mp3 player, so you can listen right here on the site. Enjoy!

I wanted to be sure to talk about animals in art during the month of Nature for the Creative Every Day Challenge and this painting I've just finished provided a perfect opportunity.

I've had certain animals pop up in my life during different times. Sometimes, I'll actually see them everywhere (as I did with crows for a time) and other times I'll dream about them, draw them in my sketchbook, or see their images all over the place. If they start showing up in my art, that usually grabs my attention. I may just enjoy their presence in my art or I may do a little research on what they've meant as symbols in other cultures. Reading about the symbolism of animals can be a fascinating way to dive deeper into explorations about what these creatures may mean in your life.

I just finished up this underwater painting called, Dive Deep, which I'm really loving. The image came to me intuitively, but as I painted it grew and changed. A whale appeared, as did an octopus. Even though only the whale's tail is showing, I imagine this woman is swimming with the whale.

Today, as I snapped a couple pictures of the painting, I felt a strong urge to look up whales in the book Animal Speak. I got all teary with the synchronicity of the first line summary of what whales represent: "Creation, Power of Song, Awakening Inner Depths." This touched me in ways I can't quite explain, but I can say that the piece about the power of song is resonating so strongly with me as we move into the month of Sound for the Creative Every Day Challenge. There's something here for me around the power of your voice, communication, giving voice to your soul.

In Animal Speak, Ted Andrews writes about whales, " By drawing upon your own creative instincts, you can sing forth your own song."

This reminds me that even though you can get all sorts of fun, juicy information from books and other sources, when it comes to looking at animals that show up in your creations, it can be just as, if not more juicy to look at what these symbols mean for you. You could do some dialoguing in a journal and ask your animal symbols something like, "Whale, what are you here to teach me? What is it you want me to know? What do you represent in my life?" Write freely without judging and see what comes up. Alternatively, you could simply explore their meaning by allowing these animals to enter into your art and express themselves in that way.

The octopus in this piece came as a surprise to me. I later read that the octopus is related to the image of a spiral (I'm so drawn to spirals) and is also connected with the moon and astrological sign of Cancer (which I am.)

I love the way synchronicities pop up when I allow images to come from my intuition. It's a beautiful thing. Essentially, this image is about diving deep into the dark places. It's nice to have some animal guides to help me along.

Are there any animals showing up in your life or artwork right now? Do they have meaning for you? If you asked them what they're here to teach you, what would they answer?

This theme may be a stretch for some of you, but I encourage you to play with it.

How can you use this theme in your creations? Well, you could use the previous themes to help you brainstorm by getting playful and writing all the ways you could intepret the theme. Perhaps you will dream in colorful song? Or perhaps you will begin exploring the the sounds of your natural environment?

I will be posting about the theme throughout the month with different ways to approach it. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:

*Make art inspired by a song or song lyric.

*Create art to music and see how the type of music you listen to impacts your creations.

*Explore making your own music.

*Try sound healing.

*Read poems out loud.

*Sing (in the shower, in the car, with your kids, in public.)

*Use guided visualizations in your art.

*Pay attention to the sounds in your environment and reflect on them in your creations.

*Make a recording of your voice to post on your blog (I'm planning to do this!)

How to use the CED themes:

If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving.

Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.

Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.

And have fun with it!

Music... can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.
~Leonard Bernstein